A Study of Coins at Monticello
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W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1991 The Monetary Material Culture of Plantation Life: A Study of Coins at Monticello Cynthia Ann Whitley College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Whitley, Cynthia Ann, "The Monetary Material Culture of Plantation Life: A Study of Coins at Monticello" (1991). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539625658. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-cdmt-cr42 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TOE MONETARY MATERIAL CULTURE OF P1AMEATION LIFE: A STUDY OF GOINS AT MDNTICELLO A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Anthropology The College of William and Mary In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Cynthia A. Whitley 1991 APPROVAL SHEET This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Author Approved, April 1991 Dr. Norman Barka Dr. Theordore Reinhart UceM.-z, I* • Dr. William Kelso TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................. v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................... vi ABSTRACT ................................................ vii CHAPTER ONE. INTRODUCTION ................................. 2 CHAPTER TWO. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Monetary Conditions: 18th-19th Centuries.................. 6 Virginia: 18th-19th Centuries .......................... 13 CHAPTER THREE. MONTICELLO:HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY Historical Background ................................. 18 Archaeology at Monticello ....................... 23 CHAPTER FOUR. NUMISMATIC ANALYSIS Coin M a k i n g .......................................... 28 Coin Grading Scale and Terminologies.................... 29 Monticello Colonial Coins .............................. 33 Monticello Federal Coins .............................. 34 Wear Pattern Conclusions .............................. 38 Coin Figures ......................................... 41 CHAPTER FIVE. STUDY OBJECTIVE, METHODOLOGY AND DATA.............45 CHAPTER SIX. GRAPH RESULTS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION Graph Results ......................................... 58 Analysis and Discussion................................ 61 Coins As Chronological Tools ........................... 64 Deposition of Coins ................................... 65 Coins As Historical Markers ............................ 67 Coins As Dating Tools ................................. 68 Coins As Representative of Types in U s e ................. 71 Coins As Indicators of Status .......................... 73 CHAPTER SEVEN. CONCLUSION..................................77 BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................. 80 FIGURES .................................... APPENDIX ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to thank the following people for their guidance and support of this project: Dr. Norman F. Barka of the faculty of the College of William and Mary in his capacity as thesis cotnnittee advisor; Dr. William M. Kelso for his suggested thesis topic as well as his continued encouragement; Dr. Theodore Reinhart for serving on my thesis committee; Dr. Daniel Jordan and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation for their interest and cooperation throughout; David Consolvo, who supplied immeasurable numismatic information in identification and grading of the coin assemblage; and R.G. Doty of the Smithsonian Institution for sharing his knowledge of colonial and federal coins. A very special thanks to Joao P. Vieira, without whose computer knowledge and manuscript editing this thesis would not have been completed. iv LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Monticello Coin Database APPENDIX V LIST OF FIGURES Figures Page la and b. Obv. and Rev. 1716-1729 cut Spanish Two Real. 41 2a and b. Obv. and Rev. 1764 cut Spanish Bit.............. 41 3a and b. Obv. and Rev. 1773 Virginia Half-penny........... 42 4a and b. Obv. and Rev. 1781 Spanish One Real............. 42 5a and b. Obv. and Rev. 1783 Irish Half-penny............. 43 6. Obv. no date cut Spanish Two Real with hole. .43 7. Obv. 1818 Coronet Large Cent................... 43 8. 1809 Classic Head Half-cent.................... 44 9a and b. 1797 Draped Bust Half-dime...................... 44 10. Site location map of Monticello........... Appendix 11. Cbins by type........................... Appendix 12. Coin types by size...................... Appendix 13a and b. Base metal and silver coins by value. Appendix 14. Scatterplot of coins by date and size. .Appendix 15a and b. Coin mint dates versus coin context dates. .Appendix 16. Scatterplot of coin dates versus context. Appendix 17. Coins by layer depth.................... Appendix 18. Number coin finds versus ceramic vessels. Appendix vi ABSTOACT The nature of coins as part of a particular monetary system in history and later as part of the archaeological record of an historic site makes coins complex artifacts to study. Long residuality of coins in the system, uneven lifetimes of different denominations, unequal survival and recovery of coins, and the fact that most coins were arbitrarily lost rather than broken, disallows standard rules for artifact interpretation. As a result, archaeology has not granted coins their fullest potential, using the isolated coin find only as a dating tool. As part of the material culture of an historic site, coins have interpretive value extending beyond mere use as dating tools, especially when examined in conjunction with the historical record. Coins assume their rightful position alongside other artifact types as useful objects with which to study a site. Forty-three coins excavated over a twelve year period at Monticello Plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia provided the database. A graphics study was conducted of the coins using Harvard Graphics software on a PC computer. The objective was two-fold: to determine whether patterns could be visually depicted for a group of coin finds, and to explain the resulting patterns archaeologically and historically. Different combinations of the variables of coin date, context, metal content, size of coin, denomination, site location and layer depth were plotted on X-Y graphs. The resulting series of graphs revealed visible coin patterns for which inferences about site occupation, chronology, layer dating, occupant status, artifact deposition and the historical significance of coins can be made. Coin analysis such as this helps establish a comparative database for studying coins found on similar well-documented and undocumented historical sites. THE MONETARY MATERIAL CULTURE OF PLANTATION LIFE: A STUDY OF COINS AT MONTICELLO CHAPTER CUE INTRODUCTION With the growth of material culture studies, increasing numbers of historians and students of other disciplines have come to rely on material objects in their studies. Coins exemplify how the once seperate fields of numismatics, history and archaeology have come to rely on each others' knowledge. Heavy dependence solely on the written word is making way for studying the object itself as a powerful historic document in its own right. It is the purpose of this paper to show that as part of the material culture of an historic site, coins have interpretive value extending beyond mere use as dating tools, especially when examined in conjunction with the historical record. Coins can delimit site occupation, serve as markers of historical events such as changes in money systems, and act as indicators of social status. The database is forty-three coins excavated at Monticello plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia. Coins have much information to give, particularly coins excavated on historical sites. A zone-by-zone comparison can isolate the specific areas of coin use and loss, which may be related to the function of the area or building. Coins may also infer economic status of the occupants. Types of coinage might define trade patterns; a change in types could show disruption of 2 3 trade patterns or perhaps a change in monetary systems. Coins can also test the reliability of the historical record at historic sites. Does the presence or absence of certain types of coins support economic policies in effect at the time? Do coin values found reflect the level of wealth in the colony and/or on the plantation? Does coin distribution reflect high and low periods of activity at the site? Coins are sometimes the best-surviving, intact, record of events that a site can produce. In the past, studies have not granted coins their fullest potential. Coin hoards, as opposed to the isolated coin find have been the favorite database for numismatists, historians and archaeologists alike. Numismatists have used coin hoards to provide sequence dating (Laing 1969:63), to establish how long issues remained in circulation and how far they travelled (Macdonald 1903:297) and to produce information on composition of coins and source of metals (Casey 1986:129). Historians have focused on the symbols stamped on coins in hoards to reflect a sequence of historical events, for example money